Travelogue: Exciting journey to Jog Falls-the Second-highest Plunge Waterfall in India

By Valerian Maurice Alva
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 24 Oct 2012: There had been a constant desire in my heart to visit the majestic Jog Falls. However, due to my preoccupation with my business in London and though I do visit my home at regular intervals for short periods, I could not fulfill my heart’s desire for quite a long time. However, during my recent visit to Moodubelle in the first week of October, my friends insisted that all of us should take a break and make the trip to the Jog Falls.

 

Sixteen  of us, all friends, hired a tempo traveler and decided to make the trip to Jog Falls. On the way we halted at Marvanthe Beach where we had breakfast and enjoyed the morning breeze of the sea.

 

On reaching our destination of Jog Falls, we were filled with joy as we saw the majestic Jog Falls which is the second-highest plunge waterfall in India.  Located near Sagar in the Shivmoga District, these segmented falls are a major tourist attraction. It is also called by alternative names of Gerusoppe falls, Gersoppa Falls and Jogada Gundi.

 

Jog Falls is created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of 253 m (830 ft), making it the second-highest plunge waterfall in India after the Nohkalikai Falls in Meghalaya with a height of 335 m (1100 ft).

 

Sharavati, a river which rises at Ambutirtha, near Nonabur, in the Thirthahalli Taluk and takes the north-westerly course by Fatte petta, receives the Haridravati on the right below Pattaguppe and the Yenne Hole on the left above Barangi. On arriving at the frontier it bends to the west, and precipitating itself down the Falls of Gersoppa and passing that village, which is really some 29 kilometres distant, discharges into the sea at Honnavar in North Kanara.

 

 

Jog Falls mainly comprises of four different streams of the River Sharavati, plunging down a steep incline in the district of Shimoga. The significance of Jog Falls is that in this waterfall, the water does not stream down the rocks in a tiered fashion. On the contrary, the water thunders down the slope losing contact with the rocks, thus making Jog Falls the tallest untiered waterfall in the country. This is the reason why Jog Falls is a famous tourist destination frequented by almost every tourist visiting India. The area around the fall is excellent for trekking.

 

There are four different streams or tracks into which the River Sharavati is split, comprising the entire structure of Jog Falls, and these streams are: Raja, Rani, Rocket and Roarer.

 

The best season to visit this waterfall is the monsoons when this gigantic body displays its maximum charm. Though one will find dense vapour engulfing the waterfall, but when the mighty waterfalls the vapour evaporated in an ethereal manner. The best look of the waterfall can be had by lying down and looking over the giant from the slabs of rock near the Bombay bungalow. Watkin’s platform is another spot from where the view is splendid.

 

The Jog fall is an important source of water for the Mahatma Gandhi hydro Electric project that was started way back in1948. At present the water of this fall provides 120 MW capacity of electricity and today serves LDPH (55MW), SGS(1035 MW) and Gerusoppa Tail race(240MW) generating stations.

 

Located at a mere distance of 200 kms from Bangalore, the fall is easily accessible by road. While Shimoga (105 kms) is the nearest railhead, the nearest town are – Sagar (30 kms) and Taluguppa (16 kms). One can avail buses from Bangalore. When coming by a private vehicle one can take the NH 206 to reach Shimoga and Sagar.